What does it take to fight fire from the sky? In Episode 12 of Airborne Firefighters, go behind the scenes with the crews who take on some of California’s toughest missions from above. Watch now: #AirborneFirefighters# #CALFIRE# #Aviation# #Wildfires#

🌊 For Nicholi, it started with the water. His dad taught him how to surf and sparked a lifelong love of the ocean. Today, Nicholi is a lifeguard and rescue swimmer with CAL FIRE’s San Luis Obispo Unit at Pismo Beach. He performs water rescues, responds to emergencies, and helps keep beachgoers safe. He also trains others, helping them build their skills and confidence in the ocean. For him, the most rewarding part of the job is simple: helping people. #PismoBeach# #Lifeguard# #RescueSwimmer# #CALFIRECareers#

Wildfire recovery is more than rebuilding. It means creating a healthier, more resilient landscape for the future. 🌲 The 2021 Caldor Fire burned more than 220,000 acres across the Sierra Nevada, including parts of the Upper Mokelumne River watershed. Today, partners are working to help the landscape recover and become more resilient. Through a partnership between CAL FIRE, the USDA Forest Service, and the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority, grant funding is supporting projects that reduce excess vegetation, improve forest health, and protect the watershed. The Mokelumne River watershed provides water for communities across the region, including millions of people in the East Bay. This work also creates conditions where prescribed fire can be used safely and effectively to maintain a healthier forest. This is Grants at Work: investing in a healthier, more resilient California. @USForestService, Eldorado National Forest, @CALFIREAEU #CALFIRE# #GrantsAtWork# #ForestHealth# #WildfireResilience# #CaliforniaForests#

🚁 Hitting the Floriston Fire from the air and ground. Air tankers and helicopters supporting the #FloristonFire# have delivered over 474,000 gallons of water and over 88,600 gallons of retardant, logging more than 122 flight hours — including 13-and-a-half hours of night operations. Meanwhile, crews are building and strengthening containment lines through rugged terrain, with engines, dozers and hand crews working around the perimeter. Follow incident updates at @CALFIREAEU @CALFIRENEU

🔥There’s more to a career at CAL FIRE than fighting fires. Students from Oakdale Junior High School visited the CAL FIRE Training Center in Ione to explore careers in resource management, automotive work, construction, maintenance and the skilled trades. Through hands-on activities and conversations with CAL FIRE personnel, students got a closer look at the many careers that help protect California. #CALFIRE# #CareerExploration# #JoinCALFIRE#

California’s unofficial state birds. 🚁✈️ CAL FIRE operates the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet, with aircraft and aviation personnel supporting emergency response statewide. From air tankers to helicopters, CAL FIRE’s aviation fleet is equipped to support a wide range of missions. Highly trained pilots and aviation crews work closely with firefighters on the ground to deliver water and retardant, transport crews, support firing operations, conduct hoist rescues, and provide critical assistance throughout emergency response. #CALFIRE# #Aviation# #WildfireResponse# #Firefighting# #CaliforniaWildfires#

Training and teamwork matter when every minute counts. CAL FIRE/San Mateo County Fire responded to a remote rescue at Sam McDonald Park after a hiker fell from a trail and needed medical assistance. The response brought together ground crews, CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit Alma Helitack, Stanford Life Flight and local mutual aid partners. Crews established a landing zone, reached the patient on foot and coordinated a successful air transport. Remote rescues like this require agencies to train, communicate and operate together before an emergency ever happens. California’s mutual aid system helps bring the right resources together when and where they are needed. Assisting agencies included CAL FIRE/San Mateo County Fire, La Honda Fire Brigade, Loma Mar Volunteer Fire, AMR, San Mateo County Parks and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. #CALFIRE# #MutualAid#

🍽️ Good food, good company. At the fire station, crews cook meals together and make time to prioritize good nutrition, even during busy days. But the kitchen is about more than the meal; the kitchen table is where crews slow down, sit together, and spend quality time with one another. It’s a place to share stories, joke around, talk through a tough call, vent, listen, and check in on each other. These everyday moments around the table build trust, strengthen connections, and create a space where people can let their guard down. It’s one of the many small things that make life at the station about more than just work. #CALFIRE# #StationLife# #Firefighters# #EngineCrew#

Over the past few weeks, our firefighters have been hard at work responding to increased wildfire activity across California. As conditions remain dry, critical fire weather continues to challenge our state. 🚩 RED FLAG WARNINGS THIS WEEKEND: A Red Flag Warning has been issued for parts of Northern California starting this weekend due to gusty winds and low relative humidity—conditions that can cause fires to start easily and spread rapidly. 🚒In response to these weather events, CAL FIRE has actively: • Increased staffing with additional crews across Northern California. • Resources from Southern California are available to mobilize to Northern California when requested. Avoid any activities that involve open flames, outdoor burning, or equipment that could throw sparks. Be Ready: Review your evacuation plan and ensure your emergency supply kit is ready to go. One less spark means one less wildfire. Stay safe, California. For current fire information, visit #CALFIRE# #RedFlagWarning# #FireWeather#

Your home is part of your wildfire plan. California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant has spent his career helping communities prepare for wildfire. At his own home in Auburn, that preparation is personal. Chief Berlant was recently featured on Fire Safe People TV, where he shares how his experience with the 2009 49 Fire shaped the way he prepares his own home today, alongside his father and young son. From clearing weeds and moving rock, to protecting vents from embers, Daniel is taking practical steps to strengthen the first five feet around his home. His message is simple: You don’t have to do everything at once. Start with one project, then keep going. ➡️ Watch the full video at: ➡️ Learn more about wildfire preparedness at #WildfirePreparedness# #ReadyForWildfire# #CALFIRE#